Local Civil Rights Restoration Act

October 15, 2015 by

Resource: Local Civil Rights Restoration Act

The Local Civil Rights Restoration Act (LCRRA) is a model piece of legislation a local city council can adopt. The LCRRA protects the fundamental rights and liberties of law-abiding Americans to be free of arbitrary monitoring, surveillance, detention, search, or arrest by local law enforcement authorities; and focuses local law enforcement agencies on their core public safety mission. The LCRRA is just a template that can be amended and tailored to the specific civil rights abuses present in your town. Hundreds of grass roots activists across the country have passed versions of the LCRRA in their town. Find out what you can do to join the movement in defense of the Bill Of Rights.

Abuses by local police can take many forms: surveillance and infiltration of peaceful activist groups as well as racial profiling (e.g., driving while black), national origin profiling (e.g., working while Latino), and religious profiling (e.g., walking while Muslim). If you’re concerned about any of these issues, addressing them all—at once—provides an opportunity to engage other communities impacted by similar violations.

immigration enforcement and information sharing between local and federal authorities

profiling according to race, religion, country of origin, or political speech

undercover infiltration of activist groups and religious institutions

cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and military personnel

The federal surveillance system remains cloaked in secrecy, preventing checks and balances, yet it relies increasingly on state and local law enforcement agencies. Our Constitution carefully guards the sovereignty of states, which (along with municipalities) play a crucial role in defending constitutional rights. As long as Congress continues to ignore proposals to curb law enforcement abuses, only local legislative limits can protect and restore the rights of the city’s residents.

The LCRRA is a front-to-back piece of civil liberties legislation, written to be agile and adaptable in order to meet the different needs of diverse communities nationwide. Tooled to be supported by unconventional coalitions, the LCRRA will empower to take action in defense of the Bill Of Rights. A campaign may already be underway near you, contact organizing@bordc.org to get started in your state, city or town.